Eclipse
by The Dark Shark
Summary: A split second look at the sun caused an unexpected change to Doc. An amazing gift may turn into a terrifying curse as Doc races against time to figure out his ability and save Suze. A Doc's story. COMPLETE!
1. The Eclipse

_**Disclaimer:** Meg owns all the characters from the Mediator series. I own the unfamiliar characters. Any scientific facts I got from various websites._

Hey there people.

I think there aren't enough fanfics dedicated to the always interesting step-brothers of Suze, so here is a story straight from the mind and heart of the lovable Doc. It all started with a solar eclipse that took place in Carmel. This is set around Ninth Key and Reunion.

Have fun reading.

Aina aka Sharky

* * *

"David, are you ready?" 

"Yes, Dad, I just need to take a few things with me." I called out while zipping up my backpack. After checking to see that I didn't leave anything in my room, I walked out.

And bumped straight into Brad.

"Watch where you're going, twerp!" He growled, pushing me back against the wall. I stared at him, my heart thudding fast. I could feel adrenaline pumping through my body as a way to prepare myself for the 'fight or flight' action. I was sure he was going to hit me and it wouldn't be the first time either. My first choice would be to run.

"Leave him alone, Do- Brad," Suze suddenly said, opening her bedroom door and poking her head out. She glared at him, and Brad glared back at her but then retreated to his room. It was funny how scared he was of her. Well, it would have been funny if I wasn't too terrified of being thumped.

I've always thought that Brad is the epitome of the alpha male. Probably, so did he. Only he would substitute the term 'alpha male' to 'I am the man' or something like that. That is until Suze moved here and proved my theory wrong.

I sighed in relief. Saved by Suze. Time and time again.

Suze looked at me and opened her room door wider. Some music was playing in her radio, songs that I don't really recognize. She stepped out the door, smiling at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled. "Thanks." I could feel my face getting red. I wish I have enough nerve to stand up on my own so that I don't have to keep being saved by my step-sister from my own brother. It was humiliating.

"Where are you going? You look nice. Are you going on a date?" Suze smirked.

"No," I said loudly, my face hot. She never stopped teasing me about girls. I don't know why she kept on doing that. "I'm not interested in all that."

"Right." Suze grinned. "So where are you going on a Friday night like this dressed up all nicely? Wait, is that a sleeping bag? Now I'm really interested to know."

I was still embarrassed, but I felt better that we had ventured on to a safer topic. One that I know all about. "I'm going to school. The Science Club had planned a sleepover tonight so that we could look and study the solar eclipse tomorrow morning."

"Oh right, Father Dom had mentioned something about a club sleepover the other day. I wasn't really paying attention since –" She realised I was staring at her. "There's an eclipse tomorrow?"

I grinned. "Yeah. Well, it won't be clear tonight, but by tomorrow morning we're going to have a total solar eclipse right here in Carmel. It's never happened before. We've only had partial eclipse in California, and our club decided that it would be a great opportunity for us to study the phenomenon since it's most likely won't happen again anytime soon. At least, not in our town."

Suze looked at me, her brows furrowed. "Can I see the eclipse from here? I mean, from this house?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you can, but you must have a filter made from a thin layer of aluminium, chromium or silver. It is extremely unsafe to look at the sun even during an eclipse, because the glare could damage your eyes. The only time you can look at the sun is during total eclipse, but it won't happen until tomorrow morning."

She grinned. "Thanks for the Science lesson, Doc. I might just catch the eclipse in time. If I could wake up early enough, that is. Have fun!"

"Okay. See you, Suze." I waved a little at her and then trotted off the stairs, carrying my back pack and sleeping bag along. Dad was already waiting in the car, and Mom was waiting downstairs.

"You have everything you need, David?" Mom smiled at me, fussing around with my shirt and checking my sleeping bag. Basing on what I gathered from Suze and her life in Brooklyn, she had never had sleepovers at school or went camping. So it was natural that her Mom would be pleased to see her child participating in a school sleepover for the first time. Even though I am technically her step-child.

"I have everything, Mom." I laughed. "I have to go. Bye."

She gave me a hug, and I walked over to the car. After putting everything in the car boot, I slide into the front seat. "Ready, kiddo?" Dad grinned at me.

I tried not to roll my eyes. I think Suze's attitude was rubbing off on me. "Let's just go, Dad."

I was getting excited. I tried to calm myself, but it was hard considering that I was finally going to see a solar eclipse using my own two eyes and not on TV or on the web. On the way to school, I tried to take my mind off the potential occurrence and remembered the conversation I had with Suze.

Then I realised she didn't call me David. What was it that she said? Doc. Yeah, Doc. Why would she call me Doc? Was she making fun of me, like calling me a doctor? Hey, Doctor David Ackerman. That doesn't sound too bad. I grinned to myself as our car approached the school gate.

There were already a few other students there, setting up their equipments and laptops in one of the classroom where we had cleared the tables and chairs to make way as our sleeping place for tonight. There were only about 20 of us so we could all fit in the classroom. But I have a feeling that no one would sleep a wink the whole night because none of us could contain the excitement.

Dad left after making sure that I had everything I needed. I took my bags and things to a corner, where my friend Ryan had set his sleeping bag and was lying on his stomach, typing something on his laptop. "Hi Ryan," I said, dropping my things.

"Hey, David. Check out this photo of the eclipse that happened a few years back in Turkey. It is awesome." He pointed to a picture on the screen of his computer.

"That is neat. I have pictures of the total eclipse that happened in Africa. The pictures they took were amazing, mostly because they used telescopes. But who knows, maybe we can get even better pictures tomorrow," I said, laying out my sleeping bag.

"I've already set up a website for the eclipse. We can put up all our pictures and videos there. Do you think the event will be on TV?"

I shrugged. "I think so. My mom said something about it yesterday. But if they're broadcasting the event, they'll be filming it probably somewhere higher and less obstruction. Maybe on the hills."

"That would be cool if we could watch it from the hills. But here is good enough." Ryan went back to typing.

If you think we are nerds, you would be wrong. Only people who have the tendency to label the human population into categories would call us nerds, people like Brad and his friends. They do not understand that we are humans too, on equal terms with the rest of them. Of course, our intelligence surpassed theirs even though they should be far more developed mentally considering that they have developed physically and in age compared to us, and we are also not easily distracted by trivial things like wrestling with each other or the prospect of intercourse with members of the opposite sex such as Kelly Prescott. But we are still equal as human beings.

A few minutes later, Father Dominic walked in the classroom, followed by Sister Ernestine. "Hello, children. Well, how exciting it must be for all of you to witness a rare natural occurrence for the first time in this town. I am glad that all of you have displayed such an interest in nature's phenomenon and how it affects all of us."

Father Dominic had allowed us to have this sleepover on the conditions that we don't make noise and we listen to whoever is in charge of us. Not that hard to go by since that pretty much sums up a day in school for us. But I think what made Father Dominic not hesitant in giving us permission for this sleepover is the fact that all of the members of the Science Club have good academic records and had never been in trouble with the teachers at school.

"Sister Ernestine has kindly volunteered to look after all of you tonight, and she will be sleeping in the nurse's office next door. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to call Sister Ernestine. I myself will be at the rectory, if I am needed. Have a good night, children." Father Dominic smiled and walked out.

Sister Ernestine stepped into the room, and everyone looked at her in terrified silence. It was no secret that everyone is scared of the nun. Not just us sixth-graders, but pretty much everyone at school. My theory was it was because of her assertive authority and commanding figure, but I also think she had pride in maintaining respect and order from the students of the school as Father Dominic can, at times, be a little more lenient.

"I expect no trouble from any of you. You are here for a school project and that's the way it will be. I am sure I can get the utmost co-operation from all the bright students here." She looked at us sternly.

"Yes, Sister Ernestine." Some of us said in chorus. She then looked around the room to make sure that the boys are sleeping on one side and the girls are sleeping on the other. After she was satisfied, she left. The room immediately buzzed with anticipation. Everyone was talking to each other excitedly, swapping notes and typing on their laptops. I smiled, feeling right at home. Then I took out my laptop.

0 - 0 - 0 -

It was beautiful.

The total solar eclipse occurred at around 6.30 in the morning and we all stood near the fountain, looking in awe at it. Some of us were taking photos, some were filming the event. A hushed silence had fallen over the members of the Science Club as we stood in almost total darkness, watching the picturesque view of the sun covered by the moon.

Usually, a total eclipse lasts only for a few minutes in the place where there is 'Path of Totality' – as in the place where the sun is completely covered by the moon. In this case, it is Carmel. Other places may also experience eclipse, but it would be partial eclipse and the sky wouldn't darken as the sun is only half-covered by the moon.

I took a few pictures of the eclipse, feeling awed and thrilled. I wonder if anyone else in Carmel were aware of this phenomenon that is happening right now. Considering that it's around dawn, I would bet that many people are still asleep. It was after all, a Saturday morning.

After a few minutes, I could see the moon beginning to move away from the front of the sun, and decided to get my aluminium filter. We didn't use the filter as it was safe to look at the sun while it was completely obscured during the total eclipse, but now the light of the sun had begun to shine through.

I held up the filter and looked through it. The sun was still about three-quarters covered by the moon and the light didn't look as threatening as yet. That was my only excuse for the extremely foolish thing I did next.

I lowered the filter and looked at the sun.

A white hot glare filled my eyes, and I immediately closed them and looked down, gasping in shock. White dots filled my head. I kept my eyes tightly closed, and I could hear Ryan saying something to me, but I wasn't paying attention. I kept my eyes closed until the white dots disappeared, before slowly opening them again. I feared that I might have gone blind.

Ryan was looking at me worriedly. "Are you okay?"

I'm not blind! "I'm okay. Just made a mistake, looking at the sun." I breathed slowly. I looked around and was aware that some other people were looking at me and I felt my face redden. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"You really shouldn't have done that. You could go blind. The retina is very delicate -"

"Yes, I know, Ryan. It was a mistake." I cut him off. I was fully aware of the danger of looking at the sun directly even during an eclipse. I even lectured Suze about it! Yet somehow I still did what I did. Maybe the lack of sleep I had was interfering with the level of oxygen that entered my brain, and I was not able to fully process my thoughts and put them into action.

I looked at him and smiled wryly. Ryan smiled back, still looking worried. Then he offered me his filter, one of five he had made himself. Safety in numbers, he said. Anything happens to one, he would have four backups. Can't say I disagree with that.

I shook my head and told him I already had my own. Then I looked at the sun again, only this time wisely using the filter. Not long after that, the sun was shining in full again, the moon had completed its cycle. All of us chatted excitedly, some rushing to upload their pictures on their laptops, some looking at their films on their videocams.

I was walking over to my bag when I saw something glowing under the breezeway. I turned to look at it, but whatever it was had gone. I stared at the spot for a moment, thinking of how familiar the glow was, but couldn't quite remember the last time I had seen a glow like that. After a moment I gave up and picked up my bag to join Ryan who was uploading pictures on his website.

I had no idea that it wouldn't be the last time I would see that glow. Or that a split second glimpse at the sun would change my views on certain things forever.


	2. The Discovery

Sorry I took a while updating this. I got distracted by one-shots. And real life. Who needs that, I ask you?

Read and review!

* * *

It was already 10 o'clock in the morning when I reached home. Of course I straightaway went to my room, setting up my laptop and checking out the videos and pictures that I took of the eclipse. Since Ryan has set up his website, I only had to convert the format of the files to fit into his program, and soon, our videos and pictures will be online for the world to see. 

Nothing makes me happier than sharing knowledge and getting feedbacks from others. And I had a feeling that soon, Ryan's website will get tons of hits from people who are interested in solar eclipses. It will be interesting to see if other places were affected as much as we were.

About an hour later Dad walked into the room, asking if I wanted to follow him to buy some food at the supermarket. Sometimes I followed to help him, since no one else ever did. Jake would be either working or sleeping, Brad would be in his room or out with his friends, and Suze…well, she has her own things to do. Things that do not involve scientific matters, and which I stay away from.

"Sure dad. I'll just log off the Net in a second," I said, clicking off the screens. After all the files had been downloaded and all the pictures uploaded, all we had to do was wait for feedbacks.

"Okay. I'll wait for you in the car," he said, closing the door as he went.

It's not a big deal for him to cook for us, but I know some of my friends thought it was weird that my dad cooked. I didn't see the problem with that. Although traditionally women are viewed as the gender that takes care of domestic chores, but as we reached the 21st century, the line set for gender roles have blurred. It's no longer so strange to see a working woman and a man taking care of the household chores in a family.

Of course, mom takes care of the chores too, only that today she was reporting on the eclipse so she couldn't prepare our lunch. But I think all of us are used to – and prefer - Dad's cooking anyway.

As I closed my bedroom door on my way downstairs, I heard Suze talking in her room. I would assume that she was on the phone, except for the fact that at that very moment, Brad walked out of his room, the cordless phone cradled to his chin, nodding his head as he went down without even looking at me.

And since I know Dad would mention if Adam and Cee Cee came over for a visit, it was obvious that Suze was entertaining a different kind of guest. I quickly walked down the stairs. I would prefer to stay away from things I didn't know. Although I was a little curious as to how she was able to communicate with the dead the way no one else could, I just need to remind myself of that age-old proverb, "curiosity kills the cat." And I wasn't _that_ curious to find out about her abilities that I would go so far as to kill myself.

--------------------

I pushed the shopping cart as my dad looked at the groceries.

I was not too good with food, but sometimes dad would show me the different types of vegetables and recommend the better brands of canned goods. It's one of the reasons why I like going shopping with him, the fact that I learn a lot from him. You can never have too much knowledge.

As we stopped in the dairy products aisle, I saw a man walking out of the employees' backroom in a hurry. He looked angry. He was wearing an apron with the supermarket's name emblazoned across the front and carrying a large box, most probably containing food products. He stormed over to a cart a few aisles away from us, and slammed down the box on top of the cart.

A few shoppers glanced over to see the source of the noise, but he was completely oblivious to them. He swiped back his dark hair from his face, muttering under his breath as he opened the box. Taking out handfuls of bags of what looked like flour, he tossed them carelessly onto the shelf. He didn't even bother to put them properly.

I knew I was staring, but I couldn't help it. My mind was moving fast, thinking of various reasons why he was acting the way he did. The man looked young,possibly in his twenties, but he didn't look healthy. He was very skinny and had a haggard look on his face. It was not the face of someone you would trust working in your store, but I guess the supermarket just took whomever they could. It's not like many people were dying to get jobs at supermarkets in a small town nowadays.

"David," Dad suddenly called out. I started from my stupor, turning around to look at him. I felt my face flushing, and was sure that Dad would reprimand me for rudely staring at that man.

"Yeah, dad?"

He held out two packets of cheese. "Sliced or spread?"

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Half an hour later I was helping Dad set up the table for lunch. We're just having some grilled sandwiches for lunch because he said that we're going to have a big dinner. But he wouldn't say what he was planning. I didn't care, as long as they tasted good.

"Can you call down Brad and Suze? They should know it's lunchtime by now," said Dad as he carried a bottle of mayo to the table.

"What about mom?" I knew Jake couldn't come home for lunch as he was working extra shifts during weekends to save money for his Camaro.

"She'll be back in the evening for dinner. It's just us for lunch, kiddo," he grinned.

I hated when he called me that. Just because I was the youngest didn't mean I was a kid. My intelligence actually surpassed some of those older than me. But I didn't say anything. Gloating is an action only done by those with inferior self-esteem who feels the need to put down others in order to feel good about themselves. An action I deemed to be unnecessary.

I put down the last plate on the table and walked up the stairs. As I got nearer to the landing, music from Brad's room became louder. When I finally reached in front of his room, the noise was deafening. How could he stand to listen to a noise as loud as this? I must inform him that our eardrums are very delicate and anything louder than the average noise can cause them to burst and affect our hearing, possibly even make us deaf. And I don't think Brad wanted to be deaf.

I banged on his door. Twice. Thrice. On the third time, I used both my fists to pound on his door, and shouted, "Brad! Lunch!"

The music stopped and I heard him shout, "I heard you, dweeb! I'll come down when I'm ready!" Then the music started again, but the volume was lower.

Well, he better not take a long time getting ready because Dad hated it when people arrives late during meal times. He says that almost everyday, which is quite unfortunate for us who were already seating at the table and had to listen to his speech about the importance of punctuality while we wait for the offending latecomer.

Then I walked across the hall to Suze's room, which thankfully, was quiet. I knocked on her door and waited a few seconds before she said, "Come in."

Since I didn't usually go into her room unless I absolutely needed to, I opened her door and poked my head in. She was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine.

"Hey Suze, dad call us to…" I didn't finish my sentence. Not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't. I just saw something I couldn't believe.

There was a guy sitting on Suze's window seat.

I stared at him, puzzled. Then I looked at Suze. She was looking at me expectantly; waiting for me to finish whatever it was I was saying. She didn't seem upset or troubled by the presence of a guy in her bedroom.

My thoughts were incapable of processing what I was seeing. Was Suze…sneaking a guy into her room? If so, how come she didn't try to hide him from me?

"David?" Suze said slowly, raising her eyebrows. I knew that I was staring at her but there was nothing I could do. Save from asking her the truth. So that's what I did.

"Suze, may I talk to you for a moment?" I kept my eyes on her, not looking at the guy. True, he was reading a book and looked harmless, but he was a stranger. And Suze should know better than to let a guy enter her bedroom without informing Mom and Dad.

She looked confused, then I noticed that she glanced at the guy, but without making it look obvious. And now he was looking at me. I panicked, and hurried out to the hallway.

"What's up?" Suze asked, closing her door behind her as she stepped out of her room.

I swallowed, not sure if I was doing the right thing. After all, it wasn't any of my business who she invited to her room. But I didn't want her to get into trouble either.

"Who is that guy in your room?" I whispered. I had no idea why I whispered, but suddenly I was afraid he might hear our conversation. Although why I was afraid I had no idea too.

Suze looked startled, her green eyes wide. "Wh- what guy?"

"The guy that was sitting on your window seat. The one who was reading," I whispered back.

Now she was plainly staring at me in shock, her mouth opening as she tried to say something but nothing came out. Finally, she managed to utter in a very low voice, "You can see him?"

I frowned. What was she talking about? "Of course I could see him. And I don't mean to intrude in your life, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to bring a potential romantic interest to your room without your Mom or even Dad's knowledge. I won't say anything to them, but if Jake or Brad found out, I wouldn't doubt that they will tell them about him. And also –"

"Wait, wait, wait," she cut me off, looking breathless all of a sudden. "You can see him. I don't understand."

"What's not to understand?" I looked at her as she paced in front of me, then stopped abruptly and turned towards me again.

"Don't you know who that is?" She asked me urgently, her eyes searching mine.

I slowly shook my head. How was I supposed to know who her friends are? Other than Cee Cee Webbs and Adam McTavish, both of whom I've spoken to.

Suze took a deep breath and spoke slowly, as if she was afraid that I would not understand. "That guy…is Jesse. Remember? We've spoken about him before. But we called him Hector De Silva instead."

I stared at her. "Hector De Silva? As in the man who died in this house back in the 1800s? But why would…"

No. That is impossible.

"He's the ghost that's haunting my room," Suze finished, her face reflecting a mixture of emotions; wonder, amazement, surprise and even a little fear.If _she_ was looking like that, I couldn't imagine what my face must have looked like.

How do you react to knowing that you have suddenly acquired the ability to see ghosts?


	3. The Ghost

We meet Jesse in this chapter. Yay.

Thanks for all the reviews! Keep the Doc pride alive!

-Aina-

* * *

"David, are you alright? You haven't touched your food." 

I looked up to see Dad looking at me with concern, and with also a little disappointment that I had barely eaten his Reuben sandwich. He valued his cooking very much, and he should. They are delicious.

But today, I couldn't feel anything at all. No flavor, no taste, no desire to eat. It seemed as if my taste buds had stopped functioning.

All because I just saw a ghost. Knowing that it won't be the last time doesn't exactly make it any easier to accept.

"I'm fine, dad. This is really good," I said, forcing a smile to my face. Taking a huge bite of the sandwich, I slowly chewed, keeping my eyes on my plate.

"If you don't want your food, give them to me." Glancing up, I saw Brad eyeing my sandwich hungrily even though he had already eaten two. I was about to give him my portion when Dad spoke.

"Brad, that's David's food. If you want more there's some in the kitchen." Brad shot out of his chair like an Apollo 13.

Slowly, I tore up my sandwich into tiny pieces so that it looked like I have been eating them. Then I realized that Suze's plate was almost empty, which was impossible because she hadn't touched her food either. She must have been secretly feeding her sandwich to Max. My eyes met hers, and she was staring at me. I knew she couldn't wait to talk to me after our little conversation was interrupted with Dad calling us to lunch.

There was a side of me that was extremely curious, and was running through lists of experiments and facts that I could obtain by just talking to the ghost. Jesse. I could finally find out what I've always wondered about – the afterlife. Suze has mentioned once that ghosts stay on Earth because they have an unfinished business, and I've always wondered what his business was. Maybe he hasn't figured it out yet. But instead of wondering and talking tentatively with Suze – she doesn't like to talk about her ability – now I could go straight to him and _ask_.

The scientist part of me would be very happy.

Then there was another side of me. The human side that was willing to accept that there are some things we don't know and that's the way it was meant to be. I was all right with being oblivious to certain things beyond my control and just let things be. Maybe I was scared. I had after all, encountered Jesse before this, when he woke me up in the middle of the night a few months ago to warn me about Suze being in danger at school. That meant that he was a good ghost, besides the fact that Suze was willing to let him share her room with her.

But it doesn't take away the fact that he's still a _ghost_. I think that was a good enough reason to be afraid. Not fear of ghosts in entirety. Just fear of the unknown.

"I'm done," Suze suddenly said, getting up. She started to pick up the plates even though Brad had just sat down to eat his third sandwich.

"I'm nhot dhone!" Brad whined, his mouth full. Dad rolled his eyes and said to Suze, "Let him eat. You go on if you're done."

"Last person left washes the dishes," said Suze before looking at me. "Are you done?"

Of course I was. Yet I wanted to say no because I didn't want to face the inevitable. But Suze's eyes were hinting at me to agree, and I figured the faster I get this over with, the faster I can go to my room and pretend the world was still the way it was this morning.

"Yeah." I handed my plate to her while Brad protested about washing dishes to Dad, who ignored Brad and handed Suze his own plate.

I stood at the living room while waiting for Suze to lead me to her room. She said we could talk in there, even though the ghost was there. Or maybe she wanted the ghost to know about what I had just found out. Of course, I could have just told Suze to ask the ghost to leave while we talk about my newfound ability. I'm sure she would have understood. But my curiosity won over, and as much as I was afraid of him, I _wanted_ to meet him.

This was very confusing. I kept changing my mind every few seconds. It hasn't happened to me before. At least, not that I could remember.

Suze came striding over and made her way upstairs, while I followed. Her expression was neutral but I knew she must be as curious as I was. She was just good at hiding it.

At her room door, she paused and turned towards me. "Are you sure you don't want me to tell him to go? If you're…uncomfortable, I could tell him to leave while we talked."

I sensed that she almost asked if I was 'afraid' before changing her mind. It made me more determined to prove to her that I was _not_ afraid. So I shook my head. "It's okay. I'd like to meet him anyway."

She opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and pushed open her bedroom door instead. I slowly walked in and saw that the ghost was still sitting on the window seat, reading a thick hardcover. He looked up when we walked in but didn't say anything when he noticed I was there. Apparently, he still didn't realize I could see him.

Suze shut her door before turning around to face us. Now she didn't look as calm anymore.

I turned towards the ghost again, and noticed that he had dark hair, dark eyes and tanned skin, common attributes for a Spanish man. I also noticed that he was glowing in a bluish hue. Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "He's glowing!"

Suze dropped her head in resignation, while the ghost stared at me with a shocked expression on his face. "You can see me?" His voice was deep and as clear as a living person's, and I lost my nerve. I just stared wide-eyed at him, not saying a word.

He turned to Suze. "Susannah?"

Suze sighed and sat down heavily on her bed. "I was hoping I could break this news a little slower, but it seemed someone is a little over-excited." She glanced at me then sighed again. "Yeah, he can see you Jesse. Somehow he had managed to become a mediator without him knowing how and when."

I sat down slowly at her chair, still staring at the ghost. I mean, Jesse. He had a name and by right it should be used. But in the history books it said his name was Hector and only his mom called him Jesse. Well, his mom and Suze, apparently.

"_Nombre de Dios_." He looked at me with surprise and wonder. His book lay forgotten on his lap. I wondered how he managed to hold the book without it going through him. Although from where I was sitting, he looked as solid as Suze and I. "David, how did this happen?"

He said my name, I realized. My heart beating fast, I stammered pathetically, "How…how do you know my name?"

Jesse seemed taken aback by my question, but he smiled. "I heard your family call you that."

"You mean you heard Suze call me? Everyone else doesn't usually come in here…"

He kept smiling in this unthreatening manner, and somehow I felt less afraid. "Well, I don't just stay in here all the time. I could go to other places, and sometimes when I go to the living room I hear your family call you by your name."

I thought ghosts could only haunt the place that they died in, and not able to go anywhere. This was fascinating. So many things that I thought were true could be disprove within a few seconds of talking to him.

Suze was gaping at us with an I-don't-believe-this expression on her face. "Um, Doc, I mean, David –"

But I interrupted her with "So you could go anywhere?"

He shrugged. "Possibly, but I have never tried going anywhere outside Carmel. Although I have been to your school and other places."

My school. Realization dawned upon me. "Did you come by my school this morning?"

"Yes I did, I went to return one of Father Dominic's books." Jesse said, a little surprised. "How did you know?"

"I saw a glow…I didn't know what it was except that it looked familiar. Now I realized why it looked familiar. It was your glow…I saw it on the night you woke me up to warn me about Suze. Now that I see it again I remembered." How could I forget? It has the same bluish tint.

He looked at me, his face expressionless. "David, I'm sorry if I scared you that night. But Susannah was in danger and I didn't know who I could ask for help –"

"Could you two please stop talking like I'm not here?" Suze said loudly, her irritation evident. "And quit this chit-chat because we need to sort out the problem we have here."

I wanted to tell Jesse that it was all right, but looking at Suze, I decided it was better to keep my mouth shut. But not before asking, "What problem?"

She whipped around and glared at me like I just asked about her ruined Betsey Johnson skirt. "You. A mediator. That's the problem. How did that happen? People are born as mediators, they don't just _become_ one."

I frowned at her. "I don't know how. But are you sure that people cannot become a mediator? Maybe for some people they received the ability after a certain age. For all I know, I could have acquired it after my birthday last week."

Suze seemed hesitant, but shook her head. "No. That's not possible. Why would anyone suddenly get to see ghosts once they reached their thirteenth birthday or whenever? It wouldn't be fair for anyone to suddenly be thrust upon the responsibility of mediating ghosts. Hell, it's not even fair to those who were born with it, like me, but at least I have time to get used to it." She thought for a while. "When did you notice you could see…" She gestured towards Jesse.

"This morning. When I told you."

"But you could have been able to see him for a while and didn't notice it. Right?"

I nodded. "That's possible, since I rarely venture into your room. And unless there were any other ghosts around, I wouldn't have noticed."

"Did anything usual happen to you in the last few days?" Jesse spoke up after watching us having the conversation. I suddenly regretted saying the word 'ghosts' because it appeared to be an inconsiderate action towards him. But Jesse didn't look offended, just curious.

I sat back, thinking. "Nothing unusual save from today, where we had the full solar eclipse." I brightened. "Maybe it's the eclipse! It caused me to be able to see ghosts."

Suze looked doubtful. "But wouldn't that mean half of Carmel who woke up early to watch the eclipse be able to see ghosts too? Not to mention the people in other cities where the eclipse also occurred."

I nodded slowly. "That's true. But I couldn't think of any other reasons. The last week was routine for me, at school and at home. Nothing out-of-sorts happened."

We fell silent for a while, contemplating our thoughts. Then Suze said, "Whatever it is, we don't know how long this would last. It could be permanent, or temporary. That's why I'm going to trust you not to tell anyone else about it. If you did tell anyone, I must warn you that I will not be your witness before you get hauled off to the loony bin." Her green eyes were fixed on me.

I flushed. Honestly, I had considered telling Ryan about this. He was my best friend and I knew he could keep my secret. It would be great to have another person's opinion – scientific or not - on this matter. But I realized that this wasn't just my secret. This was also Suze's. And she had kept her ability a secret for so long, even from her own mother.

"I'm sure David knows better than to disclose his ability to others without proof." Jesse said pleasantly to Suze, who threw a sharp look at him before looking back at me.

I was grateful for Jesse's support and the decision was obvious. "I will not tell anyone, I promise," I said solemnly.

She stared at me for a while, then nodded, satisfied. "Okay. We'll just see if you still have this thing tomorrow. Now I have to do my homework." She took her bag from the floor and walked to her desk. Then she turned towards me, where I was still sitting on her chair, her brows knitted together. "Don't you have homework too?"

I knew it was her cue for me to leave, and in usual circumstances I would have peeled off to the door. But today was not a usual day, and the unanswered questions in my head nagged at me. I glanced at Jesse, who was picking up his book again, and wondered whether he minded if I asked him a few more questions. My early assumption about him was incorrect, as he seemed to be a nice guy, ghost or not.

Looking back at Suze, I said hesitantly, "Can I stay and talk to Jesse for a bit?"

She frowned. "About what?"

"About…ghost stuff."

Jesse looked up and said amiably, "Susannah, it is fine. I don't mind if he wants to speak with me."

Suze looked at both of us impatiently then sighed for what seemed like the tenth time today. "Whatever. It's not like my bedroom isn't the Grand Central Station already. Just keep it down."

I grinned, then walked over to the window seat. Just as I was about to sit down beside Jesse, something big and yellow dropped down from the window onto the window seat. I jumped back, startled.

It was a cat. Suze's cat, apparently. The one she kept in her room because Brad was allergic to cat hair and she couldn't let the cat go to the other parts of the house. The cat, with one ear apparently missing, ambled slowly to Jesse, who smiled and petted it. I looked on in amazement. Never have I seen a cat so friendly with a ghost.

Then again before today, I have never _seen_ a ghost.

"You can pet him if you want," Jesse said, smiling at me. "He's a good cat."

"Yeah, to you." Suze said, swiveling around on her chair. "He's never good to me even though I'm the one who feeds him and cleans his smelly litter and Doc- David, don't pet him because he'll scratch your –"

But it was too late. I petted the cat, who purred in response. Jesse laughed. Suze looked stunned, before scowling.

"Fine. I'm the only one in the world he hates. After all I've done for him. Ungrateful creature."

Jesse looked like he wanted to say something in reply so I quickly asked, "What's his name?"

He looked down at the cat before answering somewhat reluctantly, "Spike."

I raised my eyebrows, "Spike? That's...uncommon."

"That's the name his last master gave, and that's the one he's stuck with. Not that it makes any difference, since he wouldn't come if I call him anyway. Not unless _Jesse_ is here," Suze answered while dumping her books on her bed.

Something about the way she said the words 'last master' intrigued me. I was about to ask her what she meant by that when something shimmered near the door. As the reddish glow became brighter and clustered to form a shape, I realized what it was.

Another ghost.


	4. The Family

It's finally here!

The new ghost appears in this chapter, and there will be some emotional stuff as well.

Free sandcastles to anyone who can guess what Doc realizes in the end!

_**Disclaimer:** Some facts in this chapter are based on the Oregon State and Chicago Police Department_

-Aina-

* * *

We sat in the bus in silence, lost in thoughts. I watched the houses in an old neighborhood went past us through the window and my heart started to beat a little faster. I had no idea what I had just got myself into, but at the same time I couldn't help being excited. 

It all started when the ghost had materialized in Suze's room. I had eyed him in apprehension but Suze and Jesse merely glanced at him, Suze even looked a little bored.

"It didn't work," was the first thing he said. The ghost appeared to be in his forties, with brown hair sprinkled with grey and a well-built figure. He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt and black vest, black pants and black shoes. On his vest was a badge, and I assumed that he used to be a police officer of some kind.

Suze glanced at me, as if to see how I was taking in our latest guest. I looked back at her, trying to look unconcerned.

The ghost turned towards me and looked startled, as if he just realized I was there, and he said somewhat hurriedly, "I'll come back later," then started to dematerialize. But Suze spoke up, "Wait, it's okay. He can see you too." The ghost paused, shimmering, and then formed again.

He frowned at me, but said to Suze, "I thought you were the only Mediator here?"

Suze sat down on the edge of her bed, pushing her books out of the way. "Well, no, there's actually another mediator in Carmel, but he's a priest, and he's busy with other things…anyway this is my step-brother, David. And he's not a mediator. At least, we don't think so."

All three of them looked at me. I shifted in my seat, a slight blush creeping up my face. Spike purred, and Jesse said, "Apparently David had just acquired the ability to see the undead today. We are not sure how it happened."

And I realized that we still don't. And as much as I was desperate to go back to my room and searched the World Wide Web on cases regarding people who can suddenly see ghosts (if there are any at all) or anything relating to the effects of an eclipse, I was much too curious about the prospect of talking to Jesse, and now the new ghost, to make any moves.

Maybe deep down I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find any scientific explanation to what happened to me, and it might just change all that I believe in. Which was that science explains everything, or at least, almost everything. Of course I know that there are things that science cannot explain because our lives are too complicated for us to figure out in our lifetime and there are things that mankind may never be able to figure out. But I never thought something like that would happen to me.

"Well, I don't mind another mediator. Maybe he can help out." The other ghost walked towards me, and extended his hand after stopping a few feet from where I was sitting on the window seat. I took it, a little surprised, but he shook my hand firmly. "Sergeant Sean Masterson. Nice to meet you, David."

"Nice to meet you too, er, Sergeant." I replied, a little intimidated. The ghost suddenly dropped his hand, then sighing; he shook his head before looking back at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm so used to introducing myself with the 'Sergeant' in front that I forgot…" He shook his head again, then forced a smile at me before continuing, "That's what you get after 23 years in the Squad. You become your job. Just call me Sean, please."

I nodded my head, while Suze said, "I think I would have preferred to be called Sergeant, but that's just me. Anyway, Sean, looks like you're still here. Any more ideas?"

As Suze told me later, Sergeant Sean Masterson was a Hazardous Materials Specialist, or more commonly known as a Bomb Technician, and was the Commanding Officer of the Arson/Explosives Bomb Squad in the Carmel Police Department. He had died on the job a few weeks ago during the botched disarming of a pipe bomb which a few teenagers had set up near a soccer field as an experiment, unaware of its true danger. One of the members on his team, Officer Matthew Parker, had also died during the operation. Officer Parker, however, apparently didn't have anything unfinished he left behind as he didn't end up as a ghost unlike his squad leader.

Suze had been working to mediate Sean since last week, although none of what she had done seemed to work if the existence of the ghost-police front of us was any indication.

Sean looked dejected, but he held up his left hand, which I realized, had been holding something. He opened his fist, and said, "This is all I could think of. I don't know what else to do if it doesn't work."

In his palm was a red toy car, which was an exact replica of a Ferrari, only a mini-version. "This is my son Derek's toy car…I bought it for his birthday, but it fell into the sandbox at the playground, and the wheels became stuck…I sent it for repairs at the toy shop…" He trailed off, his eyes bright.

All of us were quiet, not knowing how to respond. I felt a familiar sharp sadness as I watched him, but I pushed the feeling away before I could recognize where it had came from.

Suze was the first to speak, and it was just like her to speak the unlikeliest thing anyone could think of at that moment. "Did you steal that car?"

Sean half-laughed, rolling the car on its now working wheels on top of Suze's dresser. "Yes, I did. Good thing I'm not in the Police Squad anymore, huh?"

"Won't they notice it being gone?" Suze asked, staring at the toy car.

"It's a small shop. I doubt it. But it makes our job easier, though. Well, your job."

Suze raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She seemed to contemplate something, then finally said, "I guess I could pretend to be someone working at the shop. Your…death was in the papers, right? That could be my reason to return the toy car…"

"Of course. Good thinking," Sean answered, looking down at the car.

I felt a strange sense of sorrow for this man, whose life was over before his time, and yet he wasn't angry or shouting injustice about it. He was even gracious to Suze for what she's doing, even though it was – in her words – her job as a mediator. I glanced over at Jesse, who were sitting there watching us and I wondered if he ever felt angry that his life was taken away so soon.

It didn't seem appropriate to ask though, at that time or any other.

"Do you think I could just mail the car? I'm not that good with talking to people…" Suze trailed off when she saw that Sean's good-natured expression had faltered. She looked around at Jesse and me as if asking for help, and when we offered none, she sighed and said dully to Sean, "Or I could go to your house. It's not far is it? I will need the address."

It was after Sean had recited the address to his house (or should I say former house? It seems disrespectful) and dematerialized that Suze spoke. "I think I'll go today. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway."

"You can do your homework," Jesse said, humor in his voice.

Suze rolled her eyes. "Ha ha."

That's when I spoke up. "Can I come with you?"

Suze turned around quickly, a wary look on her face. "No."

"Why not?" I asked before I could stop myself. I knew that Suze was always guarded when questioned about her mediation, and I would never have asked if it wasn't for the fact that I was so curious.

She stared at me evenly. "Because you're too young. And this place is far, and I have to take a bus. And I don't want to be responsible if anything happens to you."

I felt frustration for some reason, and said with more force than I intended to, "I can be responsible for myself. I am already 12 years old, and in some countries children as young as 6 years old are already working to support their families. In India, girls as young as 14 years old are made to commit themselves to marriages and are expected to bear a child and look after her family. We are lucky that in the United States that arranged marriages are uncommon, but in some rural areas it is not uncommon to see young people working to help their families. I think it is hardly justified that you think I'm too young to merely travel to a place that is within the same town, with you even accompanying me. Besides, my mental capabilities exceed my age, if I may so myself."

Both of them stared at me. I was unfazed, because that always seemed to be the reaction from people after I've said something that equals reciting a passage from an encyclopedia.

After a few seconds of silence, Suze said flatly, "I don't see the connection between arranged marriages and you following me halfway across town."

I opened my mouth to argue some more, but Jesse beat me to it. "Susannah, I don't think that there are any problems if David wants to follow you. There are no possibilities of any danger, and I think David is old enough to know how to behave in the presence of a grieving family."

Well, that's true. I fixed a triumphant look to Suze, who looked more puzzled than angry. "I don't like this," she said, looking alternately between Jesse and me.

"I know you don't, but it will only be a one-time experience. Please?" I asked hopefully.

She shook her head, looking at us sitting at the window seat. "No, I meant this as in both of you suddenly being in cahoots together. I can't have a say in anything if it's always going to be two against one. It's not fair."

Jesse and I looked at each other, and he raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I hardly think that David and I are in…er, cahoots, which I am guessing, means having the same opinion. But I do agree with what he has said."

Suze groaned, and flopped back down on her bed. "But Doc, you must agree to keep quiet and follow whatever I say, okay? This is hard enough for me, and I've meet a lot of families who had just lost a family member."

I jumped up from the seat, excited. "Okay! I'll just go change then." I rushed to the door, before something clicked in my head. Turning back, I said in confusion, "Suze, what did you call me?"

She looked bewildered. "I didn't call you anything."

"I could have sworn you called me Doc. Like you did last night."

She laughed somewhat nervously, before shaking her head, "You need to get your ears checked. Maybe we'll stop at a clinic on the way back."

I looked at her for a few moments, then decided that maybe I had misheard due to my excitement. Opening the door, I walked back to my room.

I was sure I heard her call me Doc though.

So half an hour later we were sitting on the bus on the way to Sean's house. I didn't know where we were heading, but the journey took about 40 minutes before the bus halted at a bus stop at the end of a street in the same neighborhood that we had passed earlier. Both of us descended the bus along with a bubble-gum chewing teenage boy and an elderly woman carrying a basket full of groceries. They walked the other way, while I followed Suze as she walked down the street.

The houses on the street were modest two-storeys, with green lawns and a garage each. Some of the houses were painted light blue, yellow or beige, but most had the usual white. They looked boring, but comforting.

Suze looked at the piece of paper with the address that she had taken down from Sean written on it, and walked further down the street before stopping in front of a beige-colored house with a dark brown front door that looked as if it was made from oak. The house looked as normal as the others, but as we stood in front of it I could see that there were signs of neglect. The lawn was in need of mowing, the flowers were already browning from lack of water and the walkway was scattered with loose leaves. There were a few bikes and a tricycle, as well as a basketball on the porch but they looked dusty, as if haven't been used for a while.

Suze took a deep breath, then looked at me. "Ready? This shouldn't take long, I think." She smoothed down her white polo shirt and black slacks – she wanted her outfit to look like the uniform of a shop's staff – and patted down her hair nervously. I started to feel nervous too, but I nodded.

We walked up the three steps to the porch and as we stood before the front door, she looked at me once again – maybe for reassurance - before ringing the bell.

Silence.

A few seconds later, she rang again. When there was still no answer, she turned towards me and was about to say something when voices sounded in the house, and a few seconds later I heard the door being unlocked.

A woman with light golden hair appeared at the door, looking weary. "Yes?"

Suze cleared her throat before saying in a shaky voice, "We – I mean, I'm Suze Simon from the Toy City shop, and is this the Masterson residence?"

The woman looked puzzled, but answered quite firmly, "Yes, it is. Can I help you?"

I watched Suze as she replied, this time not as nervous as before, "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I'm just here to return a toy that was sent to Toy City for repairs. It was left uncollected for more than a month now, and it's..er, our shop's policy to return…uncollected items back to its owners after…er, a specified amount of time."

Wow, Suze is good liar. I could learn a thing or two from her.

The woman frowned as she picked up the toy mini-Ferrari that Suze held out to her and looked carefully at it. Then she looked up, this time her expression alert. "Thank you, but I didn't send this for repairs. Do you know who….Oh."

She looked back at the toy car in her hands, her lips pressed tightly together as if to keep them from quivering. After a few seconds, she looked back at us, her blue eyes sad. "Sean sent this to the shop?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Looking down at the wooden door frame, I heard Suze said in a solemn voice, "Yes, he did. He said he wanted to keep it as a surprise, and when we heard of his…" she stopped before continuing in a louder tone, "we decided to return the toy car."

Everything went quiet. I didn't know what was happening as I was keeping my eyes down, not daring to look at the woman in case she started to cry. But instead, I heard her say, "Would you like to come in?"

I looked up quickly, and Suze and I exchanged surprise looks. Apparently this doesn't happen often when she meets the relatives or family members of the ghosts that she mediates. Suze started to shake her head to decline, but stopped when she saw that the woman had opened her door wider and was looking at us expectantly. Reluctantly, she walked in and I tagged along like her shadow.

Inside, the house was as modest as it was outside, with just enough furniture arranged around the house without the unnecessary cupboard filled with displays of unused china dishware (like the one we have at home). It was a home, rather than a house; I guess it could be said. She led us to the living room and we sat down on the dark-blue sofa.

"Would you like anything to drink?" She asked, getting ready to get up again, but Suze quickly shook her head and said, "No, that's alright. We're fine."

The woman looked at me as if waiting to see if I disagree, but I quickly nodded. I didn't realize that it could have appeared as if I wanted a drink, but she seemed to understand my gesture and settled back in her seat.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Karen, and Sean w – is my husband. I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

Suze politely repeated her name and then introduced me as "David, my step-brother. He was the one who saw the article in the newspaper about your husband…and that's why we decided to come here."

Karen gave a small smile to me, and I felt uncomfortable, because obviously what Suze said wasn't true. But I had to play along to make it believable.

"We're sorry for your loss, Mrs. Masterson," Suze said, but Karen continued smiling even though her eyes looked drawn again.

"Just call me Karen, please."

We sat in silence for a while, before Karen spoke again. "I knew Sean's job was dangerous, and in a way I guess we're all prepared for something like this to happen. But…it didn't make it any easier though. It's tough on the kids, especially our youngest one. He's too young to understand that his father is gone."

"Derek?" Suze asked.

Karen looked strangely at her, and Suze quickly said, "He – Sean mentioned that the toy car belonged to his son, Derek, so I assumed that he's the youngest…"

I thought her explanation was pretty far-fetched since it would be unlikely that an employee of Toy City would remember a detail like that about a customer, but Karen seemed to buy it. She nodded slowly before continuing, "Yes, Derek is our youngest child, he just turned 5 years old last February. Our two other children, Lisa and Bryan, are coping as well as they could these days….it's a good thing that I never quit my job because now I could at least support them without having to rely on other people's help."

She sighed. "It's just…sometimes I forget that Sean is gone. I would set the table for five people before I realized that only four of us will be eating. I still half-expect him to come walking in the front door at 7 in the evening, the time when he usually comes home…" She stopped and reached for the tissue box on the side table, unable to continue.

I felt sorry for her and I knew that Suze did too, but there was nothing we could do but listen. Then out of nowhere, I found myself saying, "Sean died while trying to ensure the safety of others. If he wasn't there, the bomb could have killed a lot of kids who usually play at the field. I think he's very brave."

They both looked at me, Suze surprised, Karen grateful. Her eyes were still wet from tears that I guessed would not be the last shed, but she smiled slowly and said sincerely, "Thank you."

Later, we sat in the bus on our way back home without saying a word to each other. I looked back out the window again, but this time I wasn't looking at the houses. Instead, my mind drifted to the framed picture of a blonde boy that I saw being displayed on the cabinet at Karen's comfy home and how his reaction would be when he received his toy car from his mother. I wonder if he realized that it was gone anyway. I wonder if Karen will explain that it was his father who had sent the toy car for repairs. I wonder if Sean still come home at 7 in the evening, only now without his family's acknowledgement.

And that's when I suddenly realized the thing that's been bothering me today.

Something old and painful crawled back into my heart, and I almost wished that I had never been able to see ghosts of any kind.


	5. The Conversation

Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for taking such a long time updating this, I had to change my plot a bit.

Oh yeah, free sandcastles to _Sazzy, Nicole, Sarah _and_ deathofreek_ :-)

Not much happening in this chapter, but I think Doc needs a time out from all the excitement that he's had so far, right?

On to the chapter.

* * *

After a relatively quiet dinner (on my part), I went up straight to my room. I was glad that no one noticed my lack of contribution to the conversation, mostly due to Jake being late and Brad's refusal to clean the dishes, saying that he had cleaned it during lunchtime. 

Sitting down at my desk, I picked up my schoolbooks, fully intending to do the essay for English even though it was due in two weeks. I had already done my other homework, and there wasn't any reason not to complete my essay especially since I have the time.

It took me a few minutes to realize that there was no way I could concentrate on the essay after everything that has happened today. The eclipse, meeting Jesse, going to Sean's house, talking to Karen…

I snapped close the books and made my way to the closet. I think a shower will clear my head.

After showering, I sat again at my desk, but proceeded to turn on my computer instead. By this time, the website that Ryan has set up should have gotten some response. Based on the photos that we had uploaded, I think the shots turned out great. After the webpage has loaded, I saw that the website already has 452 hits. I smiled and opened a new Word document before typing in more detailed, the stages of the eclipse as I saw it this morning, glad to have something to do to take my mind off other, possibly painful matters.

As I was almost finishing, I heard a knock on my door. I called out to enquire who it was, and a voice told me it was Suze.

I quickly cleared some clothes and books from my bed and from the floor, dumping them on the bedside table. Then I went to open the door.

"Hey," she greeted me, smiling a little.

"Hey Suze. Is there something you need?" I asked.

She said, "Is it okay if I come in? I need to tell you something."

I opened the door wider, allowing her to come in and sat at the edge of my bed. I sat on the chair, facing her.

Suze leaned forward a bit and said in a low voice, "Sean visited me again just now. Apparently the toy car is not the reason why he's still here. Now he wants me to look into his daughter's college fund or something, but I told him I couldn't do anything until Monday because the bank is closed tomorrow. It is, right? Closed?"

I was processing the information she gave me before I realized that she was asking me a question. I quickly nodded. "Yeah, the bank is closed on Sundays."

We looked at each other in silence for a while, before Suze spoke up.

"So…this must have been a little difficult for you to take in, all these ghost stuff?"

I shrugged. "It was at first, but if you can handle it, so can I. And besides, Jesse and Sean seemed nice."

She laughed shortly. "Well, Jesse _is _nice, but you're lucky that the first ghost visitor you met used to be a police officer. It wouldn't have been nice to meet a particularly violent ghost, especially one who killed herself just because her boyfriend doesn't want to –"

She stopped herself when she saw my expression, which I guessed must not have been too pleasant.

"Have you encountered a lot of violent ghosts?" I asked, feeling a little disturbed by this revelation.

"A fair few. Especially back in Brooklyn. Then again, I haven't been here long enough to be visited by many of them."

"So what do you do when you meet them?"

She shrugged. "I help them to…move on. By any means possible. Usually they leave something behind that needed to be done, like Sean. Once whatever that they need to do is done, they'll move on."

"And you've been doing this on your own?" I asked, feeling even more disturbed.

"Well, yes. But I've had help here in Carmel, thankfully." She smiled.

"You mean Jesse?"

For some reason Suze paused. "Of course. Jesse."

"You haven't met any other mediators?"

She was quick to answer this time, shaking her head. "Nope, not at all."

I paused to ponder this. "Why do you think he hasn't moved on?"

She sighed. "I don't know. It's a lot harder if someone who has a family dies suddenly, because his business could be not just about him, but also about his wife and kids. I mean, if he hasn't written a will to determine what should be done in case he should ever –"

I was shocked. "Jesse has a wife and _kids_?"

She looked back at me in surprise. "Jesse? Of course not! At least, I don't _think_ so…no, no, he doesn't. What makes you think that?"

"You're the one who said it."

"I was talking about Sean," she said incredulously.

"I was asking about Jesse," I clarified, shaking my head.

"Oh…okay. Jesse. Well, I don't know why he hasn't moved on. I think it must have been something to do with the way he died, but he has never given me anyinfoon that. So I basically stopped trying to help him move on."

"Have you asked him about it?"

"I did. But he wasn't too interested on talking about his death." She paused, then brightened up. "Hey, maybe _you _can ask him about it."

"I can," I agreed. "But don't you think it is an advantage having him around to help you handle other violent ghosts?"

Suze looked reluctant, but admitted that it was true. "But I can't stop him from moving on if it is his time. And don't worry, I'm used to working alone anyway."

I smiled. "Maybe you won't be alone. I can help you."

She returned my smile. "I appreciate that."

As Suze got up to leave, I decided to ask her the question that has been in my mind. "Suze, if a ghost has moved on after finishing the thing that he needs to do, can he come back again to do another thing?"

She sat back down, looking puzzled. "What do you mean?"

I struggled to explain, feeling my heart starting to beat faster. "Well, you said a ghost moves on when he has finished whatever he needs to do. So can he come back if there's another thing that he has to do?"

She thought about this for a while. "Honestly, I don't think so. Usually after a person dies, he or she becomes a ghost for the sole purpose to finish their incomplete tasks. Only after all that are done will they move on. And once they move on, they'll finally be at the place where they're supposed to be, and it's unlikely that they will return as a ghost again."

I nodded, a heavy feeling in my stomach. "I see."

Suze stared at me. "What's this about, Do- David?"

"Nothing. I'm just curious. You know how I am." I tried to smile, but I couldn't shake off the gloom I was sinking into.

"Is this about…your mom?" She whispered cautiously.

I wanted to deny it, but I knew there was no point. Already I could feel my eyes stinging, and I blinked them rapidly. Looking up at Suze, I said quietly what I've wanted to say ever since Suze came to my room and told me that she met my mom.

"I just want to see her again, even for one time. Just for one time."

Then I felt the tears forming in my eyes, and I looked down to my hands, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. I couldn't believe I was crying in front of Suze _again_.

I felt her standing beside my chair, her hand patting my back. "It's okay, Doc. It's okay."

I wiped at my eyes. "I just wished that this…ability to see ghosts had come a few weeks ago, when my mom was here. I could have seen her then, and talked to her. I just…I missed her."

Suze sat back on the bed, facing me. I looked at her, and she said, "Look, I know this might not sound much, but there must be a reason why it didn't happen the way you wished it to be. Maybe if you see your mom again, it'll be much harder for you to move on and accept the fact that she cannot stay with you forever. It will only bring back all sorts of memories…and you'll probably end up hurting."

Sniffling, I asked, "Do you feel that way with your dad?"

Suze didn't say anything for a while. "Yes, I suppose. The day he moves on…I don't really want to think about that."

I nodded. "I hope you don't think that I don't like your mom, it's just that…"

"No one can replace your mom, I understand." Suze smiled slightly. "No one said you have to replace your mom with my mom. Your mom will always have a place in your life, just like my dad has a place in mine, along with your dad."

"Thanks, Suze," I said, meaning it. I felt like a weight has been lifted considerably from my shoulders, and the pain that was in my heart was slowly subsiding.

"Don't mention it," she smiled, getting up to leave again. As she reached the door, something occurred to me.

"Suze?"

"Yeah?" She half-turned towards me.

"Did you call me Doc again?"

She sighed. "Oh, what the heck. Yes, I did. I nicknamed you after one of the dwarfs in _Snow White_, okay? Remember one of the dwarfs is called Doc?"

I felt a little surprised, even disappointed by this. I thought she had meant that because she thought I would make a good doctor someday or something pertaining to that. Wait a minute…

"Is the dwarf called Doc the wise one?"

"Yeah. Why else do you think I call you that?" She rolled her eyes and left my room.

I grinned at the door she just closed.


	6. The Day

Thanks for the reviews!

The action begins this chapter. Go Doc!

Loves, Aina.

* * *

It was almost 11 o'clock in the morning when I finally woke up. Usually I wake up relatively early even on weekends, but I am guessing that yesterday's events took a toll on me. Although I did feel refreshed and rested. 

I didn't know why, but I have a feeling that today would be a big day. It wasn't based on something concrete; it was a feeling that people termed as 'instinct', a natural impulse for a species to make decisions or respond to environmental stimuli that usually doesn't involve reason.

Since I was not faced with any environmental stimulus as yet, I felt compelled to ignore that feeling and went to brush my teeth instead.

After changing my clothes, I walked downstairs to have breakfast. The house was quiet. There weren't the usual sounds of Brad and Jake arguing over the video game or Dad cooking over the stove in the kitchen.

I didn't know where everyone was and I felt a little discomforted.

On the kitchen counter there was a note from Dad, saying that he was sending Brad to a wrestling competition over at Robert Louis Stevenson and that he has left some bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Who have wrestling competitions on Sundays anyway? I shrugged at my own question.

I decided to have cereal instead. As I turned to the fridge, I saw another note stuck by a magnet on the door, this time from Suze. She wrote that she's going to Pezzini to buy some fruits.

That's strange. I never knew that Suze goes to that store. She could have told us yesterday that she wanted fruits when Dad and I went there to buy groceries. I guess she didn't know that we went shopping.

I poured some milk and cornflakes into a bowl before pouring a glass of orange juice from the fridge. Before Dad remarried, we used to drink straightaway from the carton, but Suze and her mom hated that. They're trying to stop this habit of ours and I figured I would help them a little.

I sat down at the dining table but the silence in the house became a little eerie. A thought struck me, and I smiled to myself.

Carrying the bowl and the glass, I slowly made my way upstairs to my room. I didn't think Dad would mind if I eat in my room. Besides, I could use the computer at the same time.

Sitting down at the table, I turned on the computer and logged on to the Net. I went to Ryan's eclipse website to see the feedback on the article that I've written yesterday. I had uploaded the article after talking to Suze last night, just before I fell asleep. Obviously I didn't manage to complete the English essay but I decided to do that later since I didn't have plans for today.

Usually on Sundays I would go to the library or have a discussion with my friends on a school project or any other side projects that we were working on, for example, the eclipse, or our previous project, which was on the affect of the changing temperature towards marine life. That wasn't too successful since we couldn't find traces of marine life at the beach due to the high number of people, and also because none of us were comfortable being at the beach where swimming costume was practically a uniform.

I was reading articles written by experts of the eclipse phenomenon while eating my cereal when a shimmer appeared just beside my table. I almost chocked on the cornflake, before I remembered what it meant.

A ghost. Just a ghost, David.

The shimmer formed and revealed itself to be Jesse, who smiled at me. Then his face changed, and he looked concerned.

"Did I frightened you?" he asked worriedly.

I shook my head, my racing pulse slowly returning to normal. "No, I was just startled. I think I still have to get used to seeing you appearing out of thin air."

He smiled again. "I'm sorry to startle you. I was just wondering about the whereabouts of Susannah… she's not in her room and I couldn't sense her presence."

"Oh, she went to the supermarket. Pezzini. She left a note saying she wants to buy fruits," I told him.

"…Fruits?" Jesse looked puzzled.

"Fruits," I confirmed. "We don't have any in the fridge."

He nodded slowly, still looking puzzled. I think we all become puzzled with Suze's behaviour at one time or another.

I realized that I was still holding the bowl of cereal and was about to invite Jesse to have breakfast downstairs when I realized that ghosts don't eat. That must be a little unusual…to exist and yet not eat.

"You cannot eat, right?" I asked him.

Now he was the one who looked startled, before answering. "I am not sure if I cannot eat…I just don't do it. I've never tried eating as a ghost because I simply do not need to eat."

"But how is it like? To in a way, live – no, exist in a life and yet not doing all the things that makes life necessary? Like eating and sleeping?"

He thought about it. "I don't think eating and sleeping are essentials for a life, it's just the necessity of living. But even without food, we can still live by our mind and our actions. I may not need to eat, or sleep, but I can still feel, I can still think. I think that is enough for an existence, even if it's not much."

I never thought of it that way. I've always considered the basic needs of life are the things that make us who we are as a human being, or even as an animal in the world. But to really understand life, I think we have to look further into our individuality because not one person is the same as another.

"Do you ever wish that you could…eat again?" I asked tentatively.

He laughed, even though I didn't think what I said was amusing. "Well…I do miss it sometimes. But it is hard to want something that you do not think you need."

I pondered this too. "So is there anything you want right now? Like… maybe being alive again?"

Jesse stopped grinning, and took on a wistful expression. "I think God made me this way for a reason. If I am meant to be alive again, then that is what will be. Otherwise –"

" – you would move on," I continued, not sure I was liking that option.

He looked at me, a little smile on his face. But he didn't say anything.

I sighed. "I guess ghosts are supposed to move on… but it is still unfair. For you to live as a ghost for so long and yet not be given another chance at life."

He had an amused look on his face again. "Many things in life are unfair," he stated.

"Speaking about moving on…" I said, remembering my conversation with Suze last night. "Do you know why you are still here? Suze said usually ghosts have some unfinished business, so I'm wondering if you know what your unfinished business is?"

But Jesse wasn't paying attention to me. He stood there looking at the general direction of my bedroom wall, as if listening to something. Or someone.

"Jesse?"

He turned to me and said distractedly, "Someone is calling me. I'm sorry, but I have to go." And then he shimmered out of sight.

Well, that's a good way of _not_ answering my question.

Although I did wonder who could be calling him. I didn't know that you could call ghosts to you. It must be Suze, since she said she hasn't met any other mediators in Carmel. But it doesn't mean they are not here, it could meant she just hasn't met any yet.

I finished my breakfast and walked downstairs to wash the bowl and glass at the kitchen. While I was washing, the phone rang. I quickly dried my hands and picked up the cordless phone.

"Hello?"

"Turn on Channel 8! Hurry! There's a special news on the eclipse!" Ryan's excited voice came through the line.

I quickly walked to the living room and turned on the TV. There it was, the afternoon news on Channel 8. I thanked Ryan and clicked off the phone.

The news was only for a short while, and I expect that a proper documentary on the eclipse would be a much better production on the stages of the eclipse and the effects on our city. I was about to turn off the TV when the newscaster said there was a breaking news, and the view changed from the studio to somewhere outdoor where a reporter was waiting.

The reporter was Suze's mom.

It was a little strange watching her on TV, with her makeup and formal clothes. But I think sooner or later I will get used to it. I wonder how Suze feels, watching her mom on TV every other day all her life.

When I finally got over my surprise, I listened to what she was saying. Apparently there was a holdup in a supermarket by one of its own staff, who was demanding for some stuff. He was said to be armed, and claimed that he has a bomb placed in the store. The supermarket manager, the staff and a few customers were held hostage until his demands were met.

Wow. I never thought such an incident could happen in a small town like ours.

Then I recognized the place where Suze's mom was standing, right in front of the supermarket, which was at the moment surrounded by police. I felt all blood drained from my face, and the phone slipped from my hand.

The store was Pezzini Farm Fresh Produce.


	7. The Bomb

For this chapter, I make some stuff up, but mostly I got my inspiration from the movie _Chill Factor_. So if some parts seemed a little out there, just go along with it, yeah?

Since this is the climax chapter, I would love it if I can get your feedback.

The next chapter will be the final one. Sigh...

Hope you enjoy this!

* * *

This was not happening. 

I fumbled for the remote on the couch, and increased the volume of the television, wishing madly that I had listened incorrectly, or that my eyes were playing tricks on me. Everyone knows I'm half-blind most of the time anyway.

But my attempts were futile, because I _had _heard correctly about the armed man and hostages, and now that the camera had taken a wide angle view, the store's sign was as clear as day. There was no mistake. The supermarket was controlled by a madman, and Suze was in it.

Okay, David, there's nothing to worry about. Just think. Think, what would be the best thing to do right now?

I can't call Dad, because 1) he has no cell phone, and 2) what can he do anyway? I can't call Suze's mom because 1) she's working, and 2) also, what can she do anyway? Same with Jake…

Jesse. I can call Jesse. Only…how?

I could feel panic rising in my throat, so I took a deep breath and called out, "Jesse!"

My voice echoed around the empty room, and I paused for a moment. After 3 seconds, I called out his name again.

No answer.

Deep breath. Okay, think about it, there's nothing you can do. All the police officers are there, and the hostage negotiators, and everyone else that can help Suze and the other people. There's nothing you yourself can do except hope for the best.

But I just acquired the ability to see ghosts…and I told Suze that I would help her from now on. She obviously needs a help now, and I have to do something. I convinced myself that it was the right thing to do, and the best way I can help her is by going to Pezzini's.

Determination pushing away my worry, I turned to go to the garage and get my bicycle when a reddish glow formed at the corner of the living room. It was Sean, but I didn't have time to talk to him. In my haste, even his sudden appearance has lost its shock value.

"David, do you know where Su- where are you going?" Sean asked as he saw me hurried to the front door.

"I have to go do something. Suze is in trouble," I replied hurriedly, grabbing my coat and putting it on.

"Suze is in trouble? Whoa, slow down there. What's going on?" He hurried over to me.

I sighed, feeling that we were wasting time talking when another glow formed behind him, this time bluish in color. It was Jesse, and he looked troubled.

"Here you are. I was –"

"Jesse! Suze is in trouble!" I blurted out, unable to hide my anxiety any longer. "She's in that supermarket called Pezzini's Farm Fresh Produce and there is an armed man who is holding the people hostages and there is a bomb –"

"A bomb? Is this true?" Sean asked, looking between Jesse and me, his expression of disbelief.

Jesse nodded, his expression unreadable now. "That is why I came for you. Susannah…it seemed that the man had singled her out and placed a contraption on her. Susannah said only you can handle it, since you've had the experience."

I felt another surge of panic attack hit me, and I was pretty sure that I gawked at Jesse. Did I hear him say it right? The man placeda contraption on her? He placed a _bomb_ on her? What –

"Of course," replied Sean, who had a serious look on his face now. "I just need to look at the bomb and the way it is built before I can decide on a way to dismantle it. Is she in the supermarket?"

"Yes, but she is in a cold locker room. That is why I didn't hear her calling me at first," Jesse said in a rush. "She was adamant that I shouldn't move her in case the device could go off. We should go now, I don't know how long she can stay in the cold room. David, stay here."

Sean dematerialized and Jesse had started to shimmer, when I grabbed his arm. He formed again, and I quickly said, "I want to go! Take me along, I want to see Suze."

Now he looked exasperated. "David, it isn't safe. It is bad enough that Susannah is caught in that terrible situation, I don't want you to be involved too."

"But I promised that I would help her!" I almost yelled in my apprehension, or excitement, or a combination of both. "Please, Jesse, I want to help her. I don't know how, but…I read a lot. I am supposed to be smart, maybe I can help in some way."

"David, I really don't have the time to discuss this. For the last time –"

"If you don't bring me there, I'm going to bike over to the supermarket and try to enter it on my own!" I said, taking even myself by surprise at the way I seemed to be threatening Jesse. I sure sounded braver than I felt.

He stared at me, looking torn. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong and I tell you to leave, you must leave. No questions asked."

I felt relieved and anxious at the same time. "Okay!"

Jesse took hold of my arm and started to shimmer. Suddenly I felt alarmed, not sure if an alive human can materialize without ending up as something awful. I do think the energy of a ghost and an alive human being is completely different. But the next second, I felt my body moving, as if every cell in my body was swimming and clashing and breaking away from each other, and the feeling was indescribable. It was like being on an anti-gravity floor and being sucked into a vacuum at the same time.

That was my last thought, before I knew no more.

-0-0-0-

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a large meat locker, and the coldness stabbed at my body like needles. I hugged my jacket around my body tightly, before I realized that I was alone. I turned around at the sound of my name being called, and saw Jesse walking further back to the room.

I followed him, avoiding the meat hanging from the hooks around me, before I came upon a dreadful sight. One I never thought I would ever see.

Suze Simon, sitting down with a total lack of movement. Of course, the fact that there was a complicated looking device with wires sticking out strapped to her obviously contributed to it. It wasn't just a device though; the small box of what I assumed would be the bomb was stuck to what looked like black polyester vest encircling Suze's upper body. The box itself was unremarkable, black in color with a space allocated like the top of a calculator, for what I guess would be for displaying the time. I hoped we never have to see any numbers on that.

"Doc! What are you doing here?" Suze asked, looking shocked at my appearance out of nowhere.

"I came to help you," I said, regaining some composure after registering my surroundings. Suze was sitting close to the back wall of the locker room, although she made sure that her body wasn't touching anything. Some pieces of tape were on the floor, which I'm guessing was used to tie her up, before Jesse took them off. Sean was kneeling in front of her, looking at the small box and muttering to himself, fingering the wires every now and then. Jesse was standing over them beside me, looking as worried as I felt.

"Help me? That is very noble of you. Although I really don't know what you can do here…how did you know about me?" Suze asked, looking relatively calm despite being attached to a bomb.

I think she was trying to get her mind off it by talking to me, so I responded. I have read that talking to someone who is in a highly stressful situation can help calm the person down.

"I saw the news – your mom was reporting. I had read your note about coming here and when I saw the news about this supermarket, I knew you must be in trouble. Then Sean came, and Jesse came and after explaining everything, I decided that I should come. In case I could help," I explained, even as I felt that I was pretty much useless there. Sean obviously had everything under control.

"How are you feeling, _querida_?" Jesse asked, his voice sounding concerned.

Suze took a shallow breath. "I'm feeling pretty good, despite this thing on me. I still can't believe that he would pick me out of everyone there to put a bomb on. I mean, did he have a grudge on girls with motorcycle jackets or something? I am _so_ kicking his ass when I get out of here. I _am_ getting out of here, right?" She looked at Sean, something wavering in her green eyes.

Sean replied without looking up. "Of course. This is a simple C4 explosive, from what I can tell. It shouldn't take too long to find the right wire and once the main connector has been disconnected, even a remote trigger won't activate it again. I do think that someone should keep watch out front, just in case the perpetrator decides to come back here. "

Suze looked up to us, and said, "Jesse, can you be on the lookout? I don't think David here would be much use since he's not invisible and all. Besides, if that guy decides to do something stupid like shooting the other people or something, I'm sure you can prevent that from happening. Right?"

Jesse looked uncertain, as if he didn't want to leave Suze there. I didn't exactly blame him, I'm sure he felt close to Suze now, after knowing her since she first came here. He didn't exactly have anyone else to be friends with before this, I think.

"Are you sure you don't need me here?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, unless you can stop a bomb, no, I don't need you here right now. But before Sean can get this freaking thing off me, you have to stall that guy. If I need you, I'll call you. Okay?" Suze said, her voice starting to crack. I had a feeling that the pressure was finally getting to her, and I felt so bad that there wasn't anything I could do to make her feel better.

Jesse sighed, and materialized without saying anything. Then there was silence in the locker room, save from Sean's muttering. Suddenly, he took out a pen knife from his vest pocket, which made me wonder whether ghosts are allowed to carry stuff like that around. It could be dangerous, couldn't it?

"Wait, what are you doing?" Suze asked, eyeing the pen knife nervously.

"I'm cutting the main wire," Sean replied patiently. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"I sure hope so. I'd hate to spend my last minutes on Earth in a freaking meat locker before being blown to pieces. Of course, I might freeze to death before that," Suze complained, exhaling loudly.

I wanted to say something to comfort her, but my throat felt dry and my mind was blank. All I could do was watch like in slow motion, as Sean brought up the knife to a blue wire he was fingering amongst all the other colorful wires, and started to cut it. It must have taken only a few seconds, but I think all of us were holding our breath as we waited in dark anticipation of something to go wrong. It wasn't that I _wanted_ for something wrong to happen, it just felt like that. I couldn't help it.

But after the wire was cut, and Sean sat back, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Suze asked it for all of us when she said in a voice so low I could barely hear her, "Is it done?"

Sean nodded, looking relieved as well. "It's done. The perpetrator won't be able to activate the bomb now, even with a secondary trigger."

"Great. Can we get this thing off of me now? I'm turning into ice."

Sean reached forward to take off the vest from Suze as I watched, feeling so relieved I could have jumped and danced even though I never danced, when all of a sudden something unexpected happened.

The blank space in front of the box displayed 104.00 in red digital numbers and with a dreadful ticking sound, changed to 103.00, then 102.00.

Counting down.

The three of us paused mid-action, and stared at the box in complete disbelief. Sean was the one to speak first, in a strangled sort of voice, "I don't understand, I've disconnected the main wire!"

My heart was racing, and Suze was freaking out, "Obviously you disconnected the wrong one! Quick, cut another one!"

"I can't just cut –"

"Is there another trigger? Another one that you missed?" I couldn't help interrupting, feeling curious, anxious, scared and a whole bunch of other emotions all jumbled up that I couldn't tell them apart.

Sean shook his head urgently. "I don't think so."

He looked over the bomb, and the vest around Suze, as the numbers ticked on. Suze watched him, perspiration forming on her forehead, her breathing accelerated as if she was having a fever, though from the bluish tinge to her lips, I knew that she was feeling cold. I didn't even want to know how I looked, only that I felt like throwing up.

But as I was standing there in paralyzing fear, one thing bothered me. The numbers looked strange. They weren't showing time in the normal minute-to-second mode and they were ticking too irregularly to be seconds. And then I realized what it was.

"Sean, that's not time. It's temperature!" I cried out.

Sean stopped, and stared at the black box in surprise. "You're right…it's not reacting to a time-pressure or a trigger, it reacts to a temperature. Once it reaches a certain degree, the bomb will go off."

I looked at him in incredulity. "Is that even possible?"

"Many types of bombs are possible, if only unusual. I have heard of bombs that go off once it reaches a certain higher temperature, but I'm guessing that this one works backward. Based on the way it started ticking when I touched the vest, I'm sure that it reacts to a low temperature. Being a ghost, my body temperature is lower than someone alive, am I correct?"

Suze nodded quickly. "Ghosts are usually cold. But can we save the explanation for later, when I don't actually have a ticking bomb on my body!"

"I'm going to have to cut open the vest –"

"Do whatever you want!"

Sean quickly but carefully made a slice of clean cut down Suze's left shoulder vest, and when he opened the flap, I quickly saw that he was right. There was a clear tube inside leading to the part of the vest that was wrapped around her back. Inside the tube was a light blue liquid that flowed behind the ticking black box, up her shoulder and presumably, behind her.

98.00. Body temperature.

I suddenly realized why the bad guy put Suze in a meat locker. His intention was not to negotiate, but to take out the supermarket. So even if every hostage was saved and he was arrested, or if he had gotten away, the bomb, once reaching its designated temperature, would have gone off anyway. And considering where it was placed, it would happen, sooner or later. Especially if no one noticed Suze trapped in the locker.

I was sure he didn't think that a couple of ghosts and a 12-year-old boy would come and interfere with his plans.

"The C4 was a decoy, possibly a duplicate placed to confuse a bomb technician. The box is not a timepiece, but most probably a thermoelectric mechanism." Sean said. "Did he mention anything about a certain temperature –"

"No, he didn't," Suze said desperately. "Can't you stop it?"

"I can't cut off the tube; it contains the chemical that is reacting to the temperature. The best way I can tell is to get this to a place of heat. So –" He was interrupted by a materialization besides us, which formed to be Jesse.

"He's been arrested by the police," said Jesse. "They are moving in th–"

Suze snapped, losing her nerves. "Who cares, I've got a bomb on–"

"Jesse, open the door, we need to get her out of here," Sean said firmly. "No time to explain. David, since neither Jesse nor I can touch the vest, you're going to have to help Suze to the door."

92.00. My stomach felt like it was somewhere between my chest and my throat.

The locker door slowly shifted open without Jesse even moving from beside us. I had my arm around Suze's, and intended to pull her up, when she cried out in pain, "I can't move! My leg's cramped."

"You have to, Suze! We have to get out of here," I said in panic, pulling her arm again. Jesse moved to help, but Sean stopped him.

"No, if you touch her, the temperature will drop even more. We don't want that," he said, before turning to me. "David, we don't have time. You're going to have to take the vest and run out of this room. When the liquid reached the outside temperature, it should heat up enough to suspend its action. Hurry!"

For the first time in my life, I didn't think. I just acted.

With Suze's help, I quickly took the lethal vest off her body, and holding it out in front of me like a dirty gym sock; I turned and headed for the locker door without even glancing at Sean and Jesse. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear each beat in my head, and my hands were shaking, not from the cold but from the terror.

The numbers showed 89.00. I almost fell as I collided against a meat hanging from the ceiling.

Then I felt, rather than hear, a presence besides me. When I dodged around the meat, I heard Jesse said, "Don't worry, David, I'm here."

And just like that, my fear lessened. I was actually near calm when I reached the door and ran out, bumping into someone. That someone turned out to be a police officer, dressed almost exactly like Sean.

"Are you –" He started to say, but I cut him off.

"This is a bomb! It's functioning by temperature, and we need to make it go up or it will go off!" I gasped, realizing that I wasn't making any sense. Then to my dismay, I saw that my glasses had fogged up, reacting due to transfer from a low to a high temperature.

But the police officer registered my words and promptly reached for his radio, talking into it as he cautiously took the vest from me. Then he hooked the radio back to his belt, and said to me, "Are you the only one in there?"

"No, my step-sister is also in there," I told him, taking off my glasses and rubbing them against my shirt. But his attention was somewhere behind me. I turned, putting on my glasses again and saw Suze coming out of the locker, walking with a slight limp on her left leg. Jesse caught her arm and held her as she limped forward, followed by Sean, but the police officer obviously only saw her.

"Alright, I need both of you to make your way to the main entrance. The bomb squad will handle this now," said the police officer as he gestured with one hand towards the entrance, while the other was still holding the vest. I wanted to warn him about the bomb, but Suze motioned for me to follow her as she walked away from there, and I followed.

Suze was walking quite normally now as we hurried down the aisles, passing more police officers who were heading the other way. The supermarket was quite empty, I'm guessing the hostages had been safely brought out. Then, not feeling any ghostly presence beside me, I glanced around to look for Jesse and Sean, when I saw Sean standing near the entrance, looking very happy.

"What's he doing?" I asked, and Suze looked over to where I was pointing. She slowed down, and I did the same, when something strange happened. Instead of breaking into red particles like he usually does whenever he dematerializes, Sean began to fade. But he doesn't look surprised or worried, he just smiled and waved at us, before he disappeared completely.

I turned to Suze, confused. "What just happened?"

Her expression was one of comprehension, and she smiled a little when she said, "He just moved on."

"Moved… but how?" I asked, still confused.

But she had started walking again, saying simply, "I'll tell you later."

So I decided to save my questions for later, especially when we reached the entrance and saw through the glass doors the crowd outside, with the police cars and ambulances at ready. I even spotted Suze's mom with her camera crew, no doubt she would be shocked once she sees us come out of the supermarket. I was even looking forward to seeing her reaction, knowing that both of us had escaped safely – even though unlike Suze, I had deliberately put myself in danger. To think that I was so close to certain death made me feel like throwing up again.

But when Suze pushed open the door letting the bright sunlight wash upon us, I looked up to the piercing white light of the sun and smiled, happy to be alive.


	8. The End

After a year of delays and emotional rollercoaster, the last chapter is here! I feel sad about letting this go, but like someone said, Doc has grown up and ready to face the world on his own now.

So goodbye Doc.

Thank you to all my readers and my reviewers, especially those who had stayed with me from the first chapter until now. My gratitude for you has no bounds.

Loves, Aina

* * *

_How did it feel like?_

I grinned when I saw Ryan's question, and quickly typed back my answer.

_It felt… unbelievable. _

Once Suze and I had walked out of Pezzini Farm Fresh Produce, we were escorted to the ambulance where we were wrapped with blankets and immediately checked over by the paramedics. I was shaking slightly from the cold, but Suze had it worse, her nose was red and she could barely move her fingers.

After we were given some hot chocolates, I felt better, and Suze started complaining about the guy who had fixed the bomb to her so I guess she felt better too.

There was a swarm of reporters just outside the police barriers, shouting questions towards us and towards the Chief of Police. He ignored them as he took some statements from the guy who had taken the store hostage, handcuffed and subdued in the backseat of one of the police cars. The suspect didn't look like he wanted to talk though, but when he saw some policeman carry the vest with the liquid bomb in it, his eyes widened and he started to thrash around and shouted obscenities towards the people in general.

The Police Chief wrote down some stuff, paying no attention to the guy's behavior before he slammed the car door shut and the police officer in the car drove off, the criminal exiting the scene amidst intense photographing by the reporters.

One of the reporters made her way towards us, managing to break through the police barrier after she told them "that's my kids!" and Suze's mom finally stood in front of us, her face pale. She hugged us, rapidly talking about how she never imagined that we could be involved and how lucky we were to survive. She insisted that we go to the hospital for checkup, but Suze flatly refused to go and I had no opinion one way or the other. It was until the one of the paramedic had said that we were fine that she finally stopped talking about going to the hospital.

Before we left, the Police Chief came to me and started to ask questions about what had happened, with Suze's mom's permission – even though she was really reluctant to agree at first.

But I wanted to talk, because I knew that witness's statements are the strongest evidence to be used in court. So I told him what happened, which was that I snuck into the meat locker after Suze was brought in, and I figured out that it was a liquid bomb and took the vest off after disconnecting the wires.

I never said that I told them the truth. How was I supposed to explain the existence of a ghost police officer who was the actual person to disarm the bomb?

So I had to take the credits for the job done. Not that I mind….much.

Suze's mom looked like she would burst into tears – whether in relief or fear, I didn't know - and when the Police Chief looked skeptical and said that I must be extremely smart to figure out how to disarm a bomb, she turned to him and told him off, saying that I was smarter than most kids my age and that I had been offered to move up a grade but which we had rejected due to fear of older kids feeling threatened by my intelligence and that if Police Chief ever doubted anything I say, she would go on national TV and announced that the police didn't even know anything about any bombs until a 12-year-old civilian had saved everyone from exploding into pieces.

Now I could see from where Suze had inherited her scary attitude and threatening behavior.

After that, the Police Chief treated us better, smiling and praising my quick thinking and all kinds of stuff while Suze looked on boredly, until Suze's mom said if that was all, we should be getting home for some rest after a tough day.

When we got home, Dad, Brad and Jake had found out what happened from watching us in the news – yep, Suze and I were on television – and they acted appropriately according to each personality.

Dad was glad that both of us were safe, Brad didn't believe that there was actually a bomb and said that it was probably a fake, while Jake thought we had it close and grumbled about how things like that never happen to him.

So now I'm in my room, chatting with Ryan on MSN about what had happened. He had seen what had happened in the news too, and he said that I would probably be a celebrity when I go to school tomorrow, which was quite a pleasing prospect.

Though at the moment, I'm just happy that everything had worked out fine, and that I was excluded from preparing lunch as a treat for my ordeal today. Suze was also excluded, and she's in her room because her mom had forced her to rest.

But I bet she's talking to her friends about what had happened. Friends like Cee Cee Webb and Adam McTavish…and maybe Jesse de Silva.

Strange how I viewed Jesse as a friend first, and a ghost second.

Dad called us down to lunch, and I said bye to Ryan and logged off. When I saw Suze going downstairs ahead of me, I was reminded of Sean and I briefly wondered about his fate. But then the smell of quesadillas made my stomach growl, and I reminded myself to ask Suze about him later.

After lunch, I made my way to Suze's room and knocked on her door. When she said yeah, I poked my head in and asked if she's free. She said she was and asked me to come in, folding the letters from her friend Gina that she had been reading and placed them into their envelopes. Then she sat up from where she had been lying on her stomach across the bed.

I looked around the room and saw that it was empty of any ghosts, and I made my way to her study desk and sat on the chair.

"I wanted to ask you about Sean. I didn't understand why he had moved on," I said.

"Well, he finally found the reason why he was hanging around. Remember when he explained how he died? He said he screwed up and his partner died in the process, although his partner didn't become a ghost. And I figured that the reason why he became a ghost was that he had to save another life, in order to pay back for the one that he had lost. After he saved my life, he was able to move on," Suze explained, looking reflective.

Comprehension dawned on me. "So it wasn't because of his family at all?"

"Apparently not."

"A life for a life. That's…amazing. If he didn't save you, he might be stuck as a ghost forever!"

Suze shrugged. "Maybe, but I think sooner or later he would have ended up saving someone else and he would move on. But…let's just say I'm really glad he saved my life. And that you helped, Doc, so thank you. Even though I think getting your face splashed in the newspapers is more than enough thanks you could get."

My ears were hot with embarrassment. "I had to explain it like that! Otherwise it wouldn't have made sense."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and better you be the bomb expert than me, because no one would ever buy that."

"Definitely."

She threw a pillow at me. I caught it and laughed as I threw it back at her, hitting her right on the shoulder.

Then we sat in silence for a while, thinking back to the events that, as hard as it was to believe, happened just this morning. I heard a thump, and a second later, the huge orange cat, Spike, walked in from the window.

"Where do you think he is now?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he's in heaven, or in another life. I never know where ghosts go after they moved on," Suze said.

"I hope he's in a better place. He was a good man," I said, because it was true. I didn't think I would ever forget Sean, for what he had done for us and for being so accepting even though he was taken from his family much too early.

"Yeah."

I stood up, my question answered. "Well, thanks for explaining. I think I'm going to look up on books about supernatural destiny from the library tomorrow, maybe I can find out more about spirits and their fate."

Suze looked confused. "Uh, okay. But…aren't you saying hi to Jesse first?"

My turn to look confused. "Jesse? He's here?"

Suze slowly turned towards the window seat, where Spike was floating peacefully, as if sitting on an invisible cloud. Then she looked back at me, her meaning apparent.

"Oh," I said, because that was the only thing that came to mind.

I sat back on the chair, my heart sinking as I realized that my so-called 'mediator powers' were not permanent. I didn't know what to say, the disappointment settling heavy inside of me, and Suze looked equally speechless.

I didn't understand how I received the ability to see ghosts in the first place, and why I only have them for a short time. I voiced this to Suze, and Jesse, who I'm sure was listening as well.

"I'm not the one you should be asking, Doc. I gave up trying to figure out why some people have mediator powers and some don't years ago," Suze replied, looking resigned.

Then she paused, as if listening to something. "Jesse says maybe you were given the ability temporarily so that you could help us with what happened today…but I think that's a bit far-fetched, sorry, Jesse. Seriously, I don't get how you can get the ability and then lose them in a matter of days. It's really whacked."

I was feeling a torrent of emotions; shock, disappointment, confusion and a whole bunch of others, all mixed up inside of me. Maybe Jesse was right, but…

I just didn't know what to think. Never before I had any problems formulating a coherent thought, but now my mind was just a blank slate.

"Oh, look. The sun's come up," Suze suddenly said, as if trying to change the topic.

I glanced at her, then out the window and saw that the sun was shining brightly, the black dot of the moon nowhere to be seen. And that was when the most incredible thought came into my mind, impossible yet somehow…probable.

"I think my ability is related to the eclipse!"

Suze looked at me like I had lost my mind, but I ploughed on. "I accidentally looked at the eclipsed sun yesterday, and after that I discovered that I had the ability to see ghosts. But even though the eclipse ended after a few hours yesterday, in truth, eclipses last for a few days at a specific spot even though it cannot be seen by the naked eye. I had read the schedule for the solar eclipse in Carmel yesterday, and it was supposed to technically end by noon on Sunday. Today. And now it's," I glanced at my watch, "2.16pm. The eclipse has ended."

Suze frowned as she thought about what I just said. "But didn't we discuss this before? If it was the eclipse, how come you were the only one affected? Why not the whole of Carmel?"

I shrugged. "Perhaps I was the only one who was stupid enough to make the mistake of looking at the sun without the filter."

"I don't know…" Suze didn't look convinced. "It's all sort of very sci-fi, you know?"

"Yeah…but that's the only explanation I could come up with…" I sighed, my excitement declining when I remembered that whatever the explanation was, I was no longer someone with the ability to see ghosts.

I had to admit, after my experience this weekend, being a mediator wasn't such a terrible fate. Of course, according to Suze, that was only because I didn't meet any violent ghosts.

"Jesse said that sometimes things happen for reason we can't explain. And he said that it doesn't matter how you got the powers because he thinks you got it to save me, and you did. So that's all that matters," Suze said, smiling a little.

Then she rolled her eyes and looked at the supposedly empty window seat, "Yeah, I know that's not exactly what you said, but I'm paraphrasing. Freedom of speech and all that."

I didn't know why, but all of a sudden I felt sad. It surprised me. When I first found out that I had the power, all I could think about was how to prove it to others and how to create experiments that would allow me to understand the spirit world better. And with Sean and the bomb issues keeping me occupied, I didn't get the chance to achieve my objectives.

But that wasn't the reason why I felt sad, which is why it surprised me.

I felt sad because I could no longer help Suze deal with her mediation, and I could no longer talk to Jesse without Suze acting as a middle person.

Never did I imagine that I would have an emotional attachment to a ghost, but that was exactly what had happened to me. It sounded foolish, but in the two days that I'd known Jesse, I had seen him as the brother I never had. One who was impressed with my long speeches, instead of making fun of them. One who listened to me without prejudice, instead of ignoring my opinions. One who I felt safe around, because I knew that he would take care of me, the way he takes care of Suze.

But I didn't say any of this.

"Jesse's sad, according to him. He said you were a pleasure to talk to," Suze said, smirking. "Who knows, maybe next time there's another eclipse and you get another dose of mediator power, you guys can chat about the latest show on Discovery Channel or something equally boring."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that even though total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months, the estimation is that they reappear at any specific place only once every 370 years. But in spite of my glum, I smiled. "I feel the same way. And Suze, I'm sorry I can't help you with your mediation anymore."

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Don't you know? To be a mediator, is to _be_ alone."

I laughed a little at her Galadriel impersonation, and shrugged. "Maybe you're right. But well, it was fun while my powers lasted. I had an absolute adventure anyway."

And despite my initial disappointment, I knew I was right. I could always remember this weekend in a positive, enlightening way, because as much as I didn't accomplish anything I originally wanted to, I managed to accomplish other things. It's true what people say, sometimes the things that you least expect, are the ones that satisfy you the most.

I stood up and told Suze that I was leaving, off to contemplate on my fate as a normal person.

But Suze wasn't paying attention to me, her gaze directed to my left.

I turned, just in time to see a piece of paper floating towards me. To say I was surprised was an understatement of the year. Cautiously, I took the paper, feeling apprehensive yet delighted.

On the paper was a single sentence with a few extra words written in an old-fashioned writing that contrasted strangely with the blue ballpoint ink, as if the note should have been written with quills dipped in black ink instead.

I read the note once, then reread it again, the heavy burden in my heart gradually lifting and leaving me as I realized that the greatest gift my temporary powers had given me were neither the fame of capturing a criminal nor the satisfaction of helping a ghost to move on.

No, it was the knowledge that despite not knowing everything there was to know about the spirits that are haunting this earth, I had no reason to be afraid of them anymore.

_Dear David, _

_When you see a glow in your dreams, remember me._

_Your friend, __Jesse_

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End of Eclipse

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Feel free to leave a line or two (or more) about this chapter and/or this fic as a whole. Thanks for reading! 


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